Swimsuits, Sunburn and Silver Skin
by DemonClowSorceress
Summary: Team Gai. At the beach. NejiTen. Nuff said, right?


**Swimsuits, Sunburn and Silver Skin**

**By: DemonClowSorceress**

Summery: Team Gai heads for the beach. Which means swimsuits. Which means Tenten _in a swimsuit. _Which means Neji is going to have some problems.

Disclaimer: _**Naruto**, _Tenten, Neji and all the other characters and such belong to Kishimoto. The storyline and OCs, however, are totally mine.

* * *

"You're gonna have to run that by me again," Neji said, sure he misheard what his sensei had just said. "We're doing what now?"

Gai struck his Nice-Guy pose, with sparkly teeth and thumbs-up and everything. "You all, dear Neji, are going to the sunny sand-covered shores of Konoha for the weekend!"

"Why, exactly? Not that I'm complaining," remarked Tenten, polishing her kunai.

"Because we have been working quite streneously, and nothing depletes youthful vigor like work without play!" Gai winked, his huge eyebrows wiggling like caterpillars. "So it is settled! Your newest mission will be, "Operation Youthful Vigor Restoration!" What do you all say?"

"Hurray, Gai-sensei!" crowed Lee, matching his idol's Nice Guy pose. "That is an excellent idea! I second it wholeheartedly!"

"The beach? Warm sand, cool water, and no missions to complete or enemies to fight?" Tenten's face broke into a brilliant grin. "Sounds like fun. I'm in."

Which of course meant Neji had to go. If he didn't, Tenten would pout and whine and beg him to come too. Besides, he wasn't so cruel as to let his best friend go with the Idiot Duo alone. She'd never get time to relax.

It was later that same day that Naruto suddenly showed up at the Hyuuga compound to pick up Hinata. Neji happened to be passing by, and saw the orange-clad blond waiting in the entrance hall. "Hello, Naruto."

"Huh? Oh, hi Neji! Sup?" Naruto seemed distracted and flustered, very different from his usual self. Then again, he was always nervous around Hinata's house. Maybe because he was afraid he'd mess up and bring shame on Hinata.

Not that he had any chance of that. Neji knew how much Hiashi respected Naruto. The Hyuuga head just liked messing with the blond.

Neji decided to take pity on the poor guy and talk to him. "Not much. I'm actually going to be heading out soon."

"Oh really? Where?" When Neji told him, Naruto's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You? At the beach?"

"Why are you so surprised?" replied the older boy defensively, sounding emotionless as usual.

Naruto waved his hands in apology. "Oh no, I'm not! It's just that - I can't really see you at the beach. Sure, meditating or training, but not having fun or anything." His blue eyes widened when he realized the unintentional insult in his words. "Oh, I mean, you're just not a fun guy - no no no, I mean - Ah!" he groaned, holding his head in his hands as he continued to dig himself into a deeper hole. "Never mind, okay? Just forget it."

Neji had to work hard to suppress the smile that wanted to form on his face. Spying Hinata approaching, he instead said, "Well, it was good talking to you." He inclined his head to his younger cousin. "Lady Hinata."

"Hello, cousin Neji," said the shy Hyuuga heiress. A slight blush colored her cheeks when she came up to Naruto. "Are you ready, Naruto?"

The blond nodded with a huge smile of his own. "Yup! Let's go, Hinata!" They held hands and headed out on their date, leaving Neji to return to his room.

_What does one pack to go to the beach? _Neji wondered after staring at his closet for ten minutes. He scratched his head, pondering what was appropriate versus what he had. Surprisingly, Neji had very few casual clothes aside from his Hyuuga robes. He'd already found his black swim trunks which still fit from a year ago, which was currently the only article of clothing in his weekend bag. He also packed some sunscreen and a towel, since he figured those were essential for swimming.

But after that, he wasn't so sure.

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK!

Only one Hyuuga was bold and reckless enough to knock that loudly on Neji's door. "What do you want, Ryuuga?"

"Your teammate's here!" called the nine-year-old boy from the hallway. "The hot one!"

_Dammit, if she's with him - ! _"Ryuuga, you little brat! Stop announcing it to the entire compound!" he snapped, throwing his door open and glaring down at his cousin. Not seeing Tenten with him, he said calmly, "Where is she?"

The little Hyuuga kid smirked, crossing his arms behind his head and spinning on one heel to walk away. "Is that any way to talk to your favorite cousin?"

"You're quickly losing that position, Ryuuga," Neji warned him. "Where is Tenten?"

The kid turned around again, and once again, Neji wondered how Hiashi allowed this Branch member to get his long black hair dyed such a dark shade of crimson with orange bangs framing his face. He actually looked like a moving fireball. "Onee-chan is sparring with the others in the main training area," replied the boy. "I said I'd get you, but she wanted to limber up a little. Hiroto and his pals were more than happy to accomodate her."

"They don't know what they're getting themselves into," Neji said, rubbing his forehead. "Thanks, Ryuu. I appreciate it."

It wasn't hard to find his female teammate. With Ryuuga leading the way, Neji found her standing triumphantly over a half-dozen of his older cousins armed with only a broadsword and a handful of exploding tags. She turned and saw him approaching and cried, "About time, Neji! Jeez, where the hell were you?"

"Packing," he replied, admiring her handiwork. "The sword is new," he remarked after a second of going through his extensive mental catalog of every weapon Tenten owned.

"You like it? I had it specially made after that mission to Iwa. It's made of a specially hardened steel alloy that's resiliant to - " Tenten was off in weapon mode, and nothing would deter her from it short of battle or food. So Neji just let her ramble, gently leading her back into the compound and to his room so that she'd have someplace to sit once she ran out of steam. Ryuuga followed like a puppy, grinning like a baby dragon.

"So you've packed, I guess?" Tenten asked once the three of them got to Neji's room. Seeing his almost empty suitcase, she gave her teammate a look. "Seriously? We broke two hours ago and this is the most you've done?"

"I don't know what's good to take to the beach," mumbled Neji, acutely aware that Ryuuga was still watching them with pale, all-seeing Hyuuga eyes (not Byakugan, though. He saw enough even without the bloodline limit.)

"Oh c'mon Neji, it can't be that bad." Without another thought Tenten raided his closet, throwing clothes over her shoulder as she rejected every article of clothing. "Wow, it really is that bad. Don't you ever wear anything other than your robes?" Neji decided not to answer that question in an attempt to save what little dignity he had left. She sighed. "Okay then. We'll just have to rectify the situation."

And as Neji learned in the next hour, "rectify the situation" meant "getting his ass hauled across town to flesh out his wardrobe" in Tenten-speak. Of course, he insisted on paying for everything - no way would he deplete Tenten's meager savings outfitting him for a stupid weekend. After a light dinner, Tenten headed back to her house and left the Hyuuga boys to return to the compound.

Ryuuga had to pipe up on the way back. "You like Onee-chan, don't you Nii-san!"

"You have no idea what you're talking about, Ryuu," replied Neji.

"Of course I do! You like Onee-chan!" The fire-haired Hyuuga laughed. "You really _liiiike _her! You wanna _daaaate _her! You wanna _kiiiiiss _her!"

_And we're supposed to be related? _"What are you, six?" grumbled the prodigy. "Go to bed."

"Trust me, Nii-san, you gotta put the moves on Onee-chan this weekend," advised Ryuuga. "If you don't, she's gonna get snapped up by other guys."

"They wouldn't know what to do with her."

"Not the point!" Ryuuga made an X with his arms. "She's gonna go with them because they'll make the first move! And remember, guys are gonna go for her!"

Neji raised an eyebrow in sarcastic amusement. "Oh yeah, hotstuff? And why's that?"

The little Hyuuga gave him a smug dragon smile. "Because guys always go for the hot girl in the swimsuit, duh!"

**The Next Day, at the Beach**

The beach was a wonderful paradise, Neji had to admit to himself. The sands were white, the ocean a beautiful shade of turquoise blue, and the sky was clear of any clouds. People clustered under multicolored umbrellas and lay on towels to protect themselves from the hot sands. Even the temperature was perfect - not too hot, or too windy, or too chilly.

Lee broke the boy's admiration of the shore by looping his arm around Neji's shoulders. "So Neji, are you not excited about our youthful outing?" he exclaimed, grinning like a fool.

"It is very nice here," Neji admitted. He stuck his hands in his swim trunks' pockets, absently noting how many girls were oogling him and Lee. Surprisingly, the Green Beast of Konoha looked pretty normal when in orange-striped swim trunks and not in that spandex training suit he was so obsessed with.

"I'm surprised Tenten isn't here yet," responded the bushy-eyebrowed boy, looking around. "Was she not supposed to come here with you?"

Neji shrugged. "She did, but then she went right to the hotel room to get changed. I haven't seen her since."

"Maybe she got held up," remarked Lee. "Maybe she's getting some food." He paused, then looked towards the beach. "Or maybe - hey, isn't that your cousin?"

"Which one?" Neji asked, not bothering to look. His family did have a private beach house around here, but he didn't know of anyone who was -

"The kid with the red hair and orange bangs. Ryuuga?"

_What? _Sure enough, Ryuuga was coming up the beach, heading right for Neji and Lee and chatting it up with a really hot teenage girl. _That little player. Barely see him and he's already hitting up the hottest girl on the beach. _He rolled his eyes and smirked. "Yeah, that's Ryuuga all right."

Lee's grip around Neji's neck suddenly tightened, almost choking the Hyuuga in a headlock. Neji stumbled and broke free of his teammate's grip. "The hell? What's that about?"

"Neji - that's TENTEN!"

_WHAT?_

He took another look at the girl walking up with Ryuuga. Her face looked like Tenten's, but he'd never seen his tomboy teammate dressed like a girl before. Ok, that was rude - better to say he'd never seen her dress _quite like a girl _before. He was used to her foregin clothes and the T-shirts and capris she wore when off-mission. He was definitely **_not _**used to seeing her in a barely modest red string bikini, white platform heels decorated with tiny black bows over the toe strap, and her hair flowing loose around her shoulders.

"Hey guys!" she called, approaching her gawking teammates with a smile. "Look who I found. Ryuuga's here for a little R&R too, so maybe he could stay with us!"

"Onee-chan is so nice to let me hang out with you!" chirped up Ryuuga, playing up the little brother persona he was going on. The fact that his swim trunks had a cute dragon design on the sides helped elevate the cute factor. "Let's go play in the water, Onee-chan!"

"Okay, Ryuuga!" Tenten shoved her white beach bag, the beach umbrella, and the cooler into Neji's arms and said, "Here. Better set up the umbrella and towels. We're gonna be here a while. Wait up, Ryuuga!" Kicking off her shoes, she happily skipped into the ocean and began attacking Ryuuga in an all-out splash fight.

Lee was already laying on his green towel, a white smear of sunscreen making his nose look ridiculous. "It sure was nice of Gai-sensei to give us this vacation," he remarked.

"Yeah," replied Neji, not really listening as he watched his best friend splash around with his young cousin.

"Especially after that last really tiring mission."

"Yeah."

Lee's grin grew smug and taunting. "Tenten looks really hot, doesn't she?"

"Yea - hey!" Neji's cheeks suddenly bloomed red spots of embarrassment. "No fair. I wasn't paying attention."

"Yeah, I notice you seem to do that around our pretty teammate." Now Lee was fully serious, a mode he rarely was in when Gai was around. This Lee, Neji did not like too much. It reminded him too much of a bad mix of his male friends - Sai's bluntness, Naruto's tenacity, and Shikamaru's genius-level observations, with a little bit of Kiba's instincts and some of Sasuke's irritating smugness when he was right. "So, will you ever tell her?"

_And people think he's a nice guy._

"For the last time, if you value your sanity and your career as a ninja, you'd better shove it," Neji threatened. "Remember, I know where every break in your bones is. It wouldn't be too hard to rebreak them so bad you'd never be a ninja again." He looked away from Lee and back to Tenten, who had Ryuuga in a headlock and was giving him an atomic noogie. "I like this...normalcy between us. I won't change it for anything, and certainly not for something so vague as her probable feelings for me. Tenten is my friend."

"She could be more than that," remarked Lee. "Don't tell me you haven't thought about it."

_Thought about it? _Sometimes it was all Neji's dreams were about - a life with Tenten, free to have her and hold her and nobody to tell him that it was wrong. In his dreams, she loved him just as much as he was beginning to realize he loved her. In his dreams, she belonged to him.

But those feelings had to stay in his dreams. Better to have those feelings and keep them pure, than risk telling them and having his hopes dashed to tiny pieces. He'd lost far too much in his lifetime to even begin walking down that uncertain road.

"Neji! Lee! Come join us!"

At the urging of their friend, both boys took off their shirts and headed down to the edge of the water. Lee immediately dove in, whooping like a kid, while Neji took the job of lifeguard and merely stood ankle-deep in the water, his hands still in his pockets. The wind blew his long hair across his face, so he raked it back out of the way while still watching Tenten play in the water.

And he nearly had a nosebleed right then and there. Tenten, in the water. Tenten, in a swimsuit that barely covered the essentials, held up by thin red strings that wrapped around the curves of her body like tiny lines of sin - He had to clap a hand over his blushing face when Ryuuga splashed her, sending droplets of water slithering down her skin and glistening where the sun hit the little moisture pockets on her shoulders, in her hair, and down the valley of her -

_Oh goddamn it all! Why, why, WHY am I acting this way? I'm Hyuuga Neji, dammit! I'm not some hormonal idiot who gets hot and bothered seeing a girl's wet skin! _Neji fought to control his body's response to Tenten and quickly backpedaled to their spot on the beach. His breath was coming in gasps as he continued pressing his hand over his face, staring at the sand and not at his female teammate.

This was insane. How was he supposed to control himself for an entire weekend if he couldn't even contain himself the first time he saw Tenten in a bathing suit?

"Nii-san?" Ryuuga's fire-red hair was shoved in Neji's line of sight as the nine-year-old boy sat down in front of his cousin. "You all right? You're looking flushed."

Neji got a cold drink from the cooler and held the can to his cheek, focusing on the younger boy's face. "It's nothing, Ryuuga. I'm just...overheated, that's all."

A light laugh echoed behind Ryuuga. "I never would have pegged you for such a delicate flower, Hyuuga Neji," teased Tenten, plopping down beside him and getting a canned drink for herself. "Honestly, we can't take you anywhere."

"And you're just a kid when we take you anywhere," Neji replied, staring anywhere else but at Tenten. "Don't you have a cover-up?"

"It should be in my bag."

Trouble was, her bag was on the opposite side of Neji. Before he could react Tenten was leaning across him, her scantily-clad body barely brushing his skin as she rummaged through her bag searching for the elusive cover-up. Neji felt his cheeks heating up again when he noticed the faint tan lines on Tenten's back. _She's your teammate, she's your best friend, you should **not **be getting turned on by your best friend as she's leaning over your body and almost touching you with her - _

"Found it!" announced Tenten, pulling away.

Neji blinked. The sheer amount of fabric in her hands couldn't possibly cover her. "No way."

"Neji, it's fine."

The elder Hyuuga took his discarded shirt and tossed it over her head. "Put that on or you're gonna sunburn." When she made to argue he gave her a Hyuuga stare. "Do it now, or we go back."

Tenten shrugged. "Okay." She slipped his white long-sleeved shirt over her shoulders and giggled. "Man, the water is so nice today! You should've gone in, Neji."

"I did," he replied in as level a voice as he could. Contrary to his expectations, the sight of a dripping wet Tenten wearing his shirt wasn't exactly helping his condition.

"You stood in the surf. That's not going in the ocean." She got back up and grabbed Neji's wrist, pulling him to his feet. "C'mon, we never get to relax. Let's go!"

So, without a decent excuse to decline, Neji let himself be led down to the pounding surf by Tenten. She managed to get him waist-deep in the water before he tugged out of her grip. Then she pushed him playfully, which started a water-fight that put a smile on his face.

***Later that Day***

"Maybe you should've drank more water, Nii-san," remarked Ryuuga, sitting cross-legged beside Neji's futon with a mischeivous grin. "Then you wouldn't be so lightheaded."

"Shove it, Ryuuga," snapped Neji, lying on his stomach and trying hard not to move and aggrevate his sunburn. He rubbed his temple as another burst of pain hit his brain. "Stupid sun gives me headaches."

The younger Hyuuga shrugged. "I dunno. That burn you have is pretty bad too." His pale eyes looked over the angry red marks that spread over Neji's shoulders, arms and back. "Didn't you put on any sunscreen?"

"Are you gonna get the aloe or are you going to torment me some more?"

Ryuuga's grin now turned devilish. "Oh, torment is so much more _fun,_ Nii-san. Especially when I know you'd rather have Onee-chan rubbing aloe all over your back." Before Neji could reply, Ryuuga ran over to the door and called out, "Onee-chan! Nii-san needs more aloe on his sunburn!"

In minutes Tenten came in with the aloe bottle. "And you warned me about sunburn," she scolded him, kneeling next to her teammate. "Honestly, Neji. You ought to take care of yourself more." He felt her callused hands brushing his long hair away from his back, baring the burn to the open air. "Now hold still. It's going to be a little chilly."

But Neji didn't care. Tenten's fingers were like heaven, splaying over his back and working the aloe over his tortured skin with the skill of a master masseuse. In minutes the burning was all but gone, and the knots of tension in his back and shoulders were being kneaded away by his friend's fingertips. Another few minutes, and Neji was fast asleep.

When he woke up, it was after lunch and there was a covered bowl of herring soba noodles next to his futon. A smile crept across his face - only Tenten knew how he liked his soba - and he ate his lunch gratefully.

A knock signalled the arrival of Lee. "I see you're up now," he stated, leaning against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest. "Get a nice nap, Sleeping Beauty?"

"Where is everyone?"

"We let you sleep. Tenten was adamant that you got some rest." Lee chuckled. "Ryuuga was sure you were faking, but I guess you really are a delicate flower in the sun. A surprising trait for the great Hyuuga Neji."

Neji glowered at Lee as he moved stiffly. His sunburn didn't hurt, but the skin was a little itchy. "Get over here and I'll show you how delicate I am with my Juuken," he warned, throwing his shirt over his bare shoulders. Tenten's scent still clung to the fabric, something that made his lungs inflate a little deeper to catch the smell of polishing oil that always seemed to surround her.

"Well come on now. We got invited to a beach volleyball game and we're short a player."

It was a simple team-up - Team Gai plus Ryuuga against four other teenagers. The Konoha ninjas dominated, their expert teamwork easily transferring from work to play. Even Ryuuga did his share, leaping as high as he could to save what balls the others missed. It was a close, exciting game that culminated into a spectacular save by Tenten, who bopped it to Lee, who bounced it back to Ryuuga, who was sitting on Neji's shoulders and delivered the final spike and winning the game for Team Gai.

Ryuuga was ecstatic about scoring the winning point and demanded that he stay on his perch of triumph as he was congratulated by the throng of people who had come to watch. This meant that Neji was surrounded by girls who were more than a little friendly to the handsome Hyuuga teen. It also meant he was seperated by a mass of bodies from Tenten, who was being approached by some guys from the other team as well as their friends. Neji had to squash the little flame of jealousy that burned in his chest when he saw her laughing at something they said, or when she smiled, or when she twirled her hair playfully and said something clever in response to one of their obviously cheesy pick-up lines -

"Nii-san!" A sharp whack from his shoulders' occupant had Neji looking up at Ryuuga. "Put me down! I want to get some ice cream from the pretty onee-chans!" Neji put him down and watched his little cousin walk away amongst a horde of girls who giggled and adored him. _Dear god, he's like a little host. I hope he doesn't work it too hard, or someone's gonna get annoyed at the little guy._

"So, want some ice cream?"

That voice. Something about it made Neji turn around to face Tenten, who was now surrounded by guys. The one who had spoken was a blonde guy who seemed a little too old for her and had his hand on her arm. That flare of jealously came back in Neji's chest with a fresh branch to burn.

But Tenten expertly shrugged off the hand. "Sorry, but not today. Thanks anyway."

"Aw, c'mon, don't be that way," chided the blond, reaching for her again. "It's just ice cream."

"And I just said no. Take a hint." The playfulness was gone from her voice, becoming a little tired of his antics.

The guy started coming on to her again, but Neji was already in motion. His hand reached out and grabbed the blond's wrist a scant inch away from Tenten's arm and gripped tight. "She said, no thanks," he growled. "Or didn't you understand her the first time?"

The blond looked ready to argue, but apparently Neji's barely veiled threat had spooked him enough to back away with grace. He pulled his wrist free from Neji's grip and headed off with his friends, mumbling about his "dumb luck to hit on a girl with a touchy boyfriend."

Needless to say, Neji was awkward for the rest of the afternoon. Dinner was a silent affair, with Lee trying to fill in the quiet with chatter about their missions, about Gai, and where could Ryuuga be, he was taking an awful long time, wasn't he? Tenten merely answered in three word responses, while Neji just shrugged. After a time the Green Beast gave up and decided to let his two teammates stew in their silences.

The atmosphere definitely lightened up when Ryuuga returned. But it went right down again when they discovered his stomachache from eating too much ice cream. Neji thought it was poetic justice, but Tenten awwed and cooed and picked up Ryuuga and took him back to their rooms. It was near sunset when she returned and told them that Ryuuga was sleeping off his treats.

"Then I shall be off!" Lee announced. When questioned further he admitted to being invited to a beach bonfire by some of the girls from the volleyball game. "You two should come too!" he said expectantly, smiling.

"I want to take a walk on the beach," responded the Hyuuga boy. "It's quiet now, and I'd like to get some meditation in before I go to sleep. But you go have fun."

Lee then looked to Tenten. "Well, Tenten? What about you?"

But Tenten shook her head. "Nah, I think I'll stick around in case Ryuuga needs anything."

"I'll walk you back," Neji offered.

Lee watched his two teammates shuffle back to the hotel and sighed. "God, if nothing happens tonight I'm gonna have to resort to drastic measures," he swore. "Why won't they just jump each other already?"

***Around Midnight***

Neji moved deliberately, wasting no movements in his exercise as the sand shifted beneath his bare feet in unpredictable ways. Again he felt glad that he decided to train; sand was a tricky surface to fight on, especially barefoot, and learning how to keep his balance on the malleable grains could help him gain an advantage in future battles. A thought struck him, so Neji assumed his Juuken stance and gathered his chakra.

**_Kaiten!_**

The shield of chakra burst to life around his spinning form, making the sand around him blast away. He only held it for a few seconds, but when it ended he was impressed. The surrounding crater was smooth, as if the sand had merely been scooped away by a large hand, and piles of sand were as far as ten feet from him.

"I thought you'd be out here."

Neji looked up to see Tenten coming closer. She wore surfer shorts and her string bikini top and those cute shoes of hers, but her hair was back in their customary buns again. For some reason it put Neji at ease to see something normal, however mundane, about Tenten being the same. The moonlight slid over her skin, making her look etheral in the darkness.

"It's late, Neji. Shouldn't you get to bed?" she asked. "You'll just tire yourself out quicker tomorrow."

"How's Ryuuga?" asked Neji.

She smiled fondly. "Still sleeping. He's so cute. And so energetic." Another giggle slipped from her lips. "The stoic Hyuuga genes did not pass onto him, I take it."

"He was named 'dragon' for a reason," admitted Neji. "Even when he was a toddler, he kept speeding all over the place like a comet. I still don't know how he got Lord Hiashi to let him dye his hair that color."

"I think it looks cute."

"You think puppies with kunai in their teeth look cute."

"I have a broad concept of the cute genre." A light wind blew, making Tenten cross her arms over chest for warmth. "Ooh, didn't see that coming. It was so hot today, I didn't think it'd - "

Neji wordlessly handed her his shirt again. He saw her eyes widen in surprise before she put it on. "Neji, are you okay?"

"Why do you ask?" he responded, casually looking away from her to keep the thought that she looked damn adorable in his shirt from his mind.

"Because you've been acting weird ever since we got here," stated Tenten. "It's like you're avoiding me."

Being backed into a corner, Neji did what he always did - he closed himself off. "I'm talking with you, aren't you? And it's just your imagination. I'm not avoiding you, I'm just not used to the beach." Before he could say something else that would seal his doom, he quickly walked back to the hotel and left Tenten on the beach.

Why didn't she get it? Why couldn't she see that it was because of _her _that he was acting weird? Why was she being so damn _dense _about his feelings for her?

But when he got to his room, Neji realized how unfair he'd been to Tenten. It wasn't her fault. He was just being an idiot. Again. With a sharp exhale, he got back up and headed back outside to apologize.

She was sitting at the edge of the surf, the water just lapping up to her toes, still wearing his shirt and staring over the sea. All of Neji's prepared apologies flew out his brain like papers out a window, leaving his brain empty as a clean slate.

But Tenten's head tilted to the side, as if she knew he was there. "Hey, what do you think about fate?"

Neji blinked. "Are we actually having this conversation?" he responded automatically, forgetting the situation.

"Neji," she sighed, exasperated.

He sat next to her, not knowing where she was going with her question. "Well, I never really liked it before, but I used to believe in it. That it couldn't be changed, and nothing I did could fix that."

She seemed to digest his words, then asked another question. "What about when you met me and Lee for the first time?"

"Is there a point to this?" Neji couldn't see one in sight.

"Just answer the question, you doob."

He sighed, looking over the cresting waves as he thought back. "Well, I thought Lee was an obnoxious moron who couldn't become a ninja the way he was, and I thought you...I thought you'd just hold us back," he admitted with not a little shame. "You were an unknown girl with no clan name or background, and not even an impressive girl at first glance."

Silence, broken only by the waves, covered them until Tenten gave a small laugh. "Well, you learned."

"Yeah." He learned how not to underestimate her. He learned how to train with her so that he'd become better, so she'd become better, so that they'd continue to push each other to be better. He'd learned to protect others besides himself, to watch out for others, and to care about others.

She stretched her arms suddenly, the sound of her shoulders popping an interesting change from the beach noises. "But you know, for a genius, you can be so damn _dense_ sometimes."

Well, he wasn't about to take that crap. Neji turned to face Tenten. "And what's that supposed to - "

And he shut up very quickly. On account that her lips were on his, not moving, but very much kissing him. His eyes widened to the size of plates. When she pulled away (far too soon for his liking) Neji saw that she was smiling. "It means," she said, scooting closer to him, "that you obsess over little things too much." She put her head on his shoulder and leaned against him. "Stop thinking, Neji. Just feel."

Another silence, this one more comfortable, settled over Neji and Tenten. But it was broken by a hesitant query from the usually stoic Hyuuga.

"So...was that an invitation?"

***In the Hotel Room***

Ryuuga woke up in the middle of the night, tangled up in his futon sheets like a mummy. Pushing his unbound red hair from his face, he stumbled down to the bathroom to get a glass of water.

But when he passed by Neji's room, he stopped. The door was a little open, and he could see his cousin's futon in the pale moonlight. Curiosity got the better of him, and so the nine-year-old ventured a peek.

He could see Neji and Tenten, fast asleep in Neji's bed. It looked like there were clothes thrown over the floor in disarray, but Ryuuga didn't look too closely. Instead he smiled, slid the door shut, and tiptoed to get his glass of water.

Lee was coming in when Ryuuga was drinking his water. The older boy saw the gleeful smile on his face and cocked his head. "Is something amusing, Ryuuga?"

The little Hyuuga nodded smugly. "I was right," he announced, taking another gulp of water.

"About?"

He gave a huge, satisfied dragon smile. "Guys always go for the hot girl in the swimsuit!"

* * *

**Yet another NejiTen fic of cute! I really didn't have a plot, but then it blossomed into this. Like it?**

**And I now luv Ryuuga and wish he really existed in the _Naruto _universe. He's who I imagined the rebel child of the Hyuuga clan would be. And such a little devil, too!**

**Reviews are much loved!**


End file.
